This story, along with the story of Bruce Jenner, has really gotten me thinking.  How should a Christian respond to this?  If a transgender individual or one who is struggling with racial identity walked into one of our churches, what would we do?  What would we say?  I dare say our response would not necessarily be what we would define as welcoming.  It seems to me that sometimes we are inexplicably unsure of what to say without spewing out vitriol and hate.  Well, here’s the thing, friends.  This issue is not going away.  It is just the beginning.  The fact of the matter is that there are many people with struggles just like those of Rachel Dolezal and Bruce Jenner.  If you haven’t already, sooner or later you are going to come face to face with someone who is struggling with some aspect of their identity, and it’s important that we get the response right. 

As I pen this blog, our church family is wrapping up our annual vacation Bible school (VBS).  Tonight, we will celebrate the week with parents and children, and tomorrow will be our last day.  Over the course of the past week, children ages 3-14 have descended onto our church and have spent their mornings engaging in Bible stories, music, crafts, missions, recreation, and snacks, all with the purpose of drawing closer to the Lord.  Kids are being exposed to the Good News of Jesus Christ, and at the time I write this, we have raised over 75 lbs. of coins, all of which will go to support the efforts of the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home.  Of all the events we host, VBS is definitely one of my favorites.  I love getting to know the kids and getting to see their excitement and energy up close.  It is absolutely infectious.  I also love to see them wrestling with the things of God.  They ask such challenging questions.  One asked me whether or not I thought animals go to Heaven.  Another asked me about the roles of God the Father and God the Son in relation to the Trinity.  Yet another asked me about the nature of the virgin birth of Christ.  All of these questions came from kids that were under 11 years old.  Are you serious?  It has been such fun to watch how God has worked on them this week and drawn them to Himself, and I look forward to watching what He does next in their lives.  All that to say, while this has certainly been a tiring week, it is bittersweet to see it end.

 

As I think about VBS this week, and as I ponder the spiritual condition of my own children, the words of Proverbs 22:6 continue to ring in my head:

 

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (NIV)

 

I can’t help but thinking that, for many of the kids that attended VBS this week, we were the only glimpse of Jesus that they are ever going to see.  Many of them do not attend church on a regular basis, if ever, and so for them, this exposure to Christ was it for them.  How sad.  That also makes our mission that much more critical.  We have to make our time with them count.  It also got me thinking about the fact that we as parents are the ones that are ultimately responsible for the spiritual education of our children.  All too often parents depend on the church to give their kids a spiritual foundation.  Can I tell you something?  That won’t work.  Certainly, the church has a role, and pastors and teachers are important figures in building a solid spiritual foundation for our kids.  However, parents, it’s ultimately up to us.  We are the ones that are with our children more than anyone else.  It takes a model of consistency to foster spiritual development.  It is not enough for children to attend church two hours a week and expect them to have a solid understanding much less a personal relationship with Christ.

 

So, what are we as parents supposed to do?  I think this verse says it all.  We need to train our children.  In this passage, training implies consistency.  It implies a long-term commitment to something.  Most of you know me well enough to know of my deep love for LSU athletics, particularly the football program.  In order to be a perennial top-10 team that is constantly competing for a national championship, it takes commitment, dedication, lots of long hours, and incredible amounts of sweat, blood, and even maybe tears.  To be the best, it requires a maximum effort.  So why in the world would we put anything less than a maximum effort into the spiritual education of our children.  Would the Tigers be worth watching if they practiced for two hours one day a week?  Of course not.  So why do we think it’s acceptable to do that with our children’s spiritual future.  If we truly believe that making a decision to follow Christ is the most important decision anyone will ever make, what are we doing now to get our children ready to make that decision?  Are we training them consistently?  I’m not talking about simply taking them to church?  Most of us pray for our kids, but do you pray with your kids?  Do you read the Bible with your kids?  Do you sing songs of worship with your kids?  Doing all of those things on a regular basis is our training, and it is laying a groundwork for the future.  This verse says that when our kids are old, they won’t depart from the truth.  They will remember their training.  True, they might stray.  However, they will eventually return. 

 

So, are you training your kids, or are you leaving that responsibility to others?  Remember, they see you more than anyone else.  Let’s make that time count for something that has eternal consequences.  Let’s make sure that when the time comes our precious children are ready to make the most important decision of their lives.  It’s Training Day.  Are you ready?

 

Until Next Week,

 

Pastor JP

This has been a tough week, in that I have had two funerals this week for families that I love dearly.  Funerals are often difficult because you are often looked to as having the right answer.  You are expected to say just the right thing.  Sometimes it seems as though you are walking on eggshells because you feel like you don’t know what to say or you can’t be enough of a comfort to the family.  I have often felt like that too, but can I share a lesson with you that I learned a long time ago?  Sometimes you don’t have to say anything at all. 

This is often a difficult lesson to learn.  As a pastor, it is very hard to know when to speak and when to remain silent, but I’ve realized that often, the most important ministry to the grieving is the ministry of presence.  Just the fact that you are there can bring tremendous comfort to a family.  Jesus Himself demonstrated this ministry of presence in the Biblical account of the death of His friend, Lazarus.  The Gospel of John records this story in chapter 11.  Upon hearing of his dear friend Lazarus’ death, Jesus went straight to Lazarus’ sisters Mary and Martha.

“When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  ‘Where have you laid him?’, He asked.  ‘Come and see, Lord,” they replied.  Jesus wept.  Then the Jews said, ‘See how He loved him!” (John 11:33-36)

Of all people, Jesus could have whispered comforting words, provided an appropriate sermon or devotional thought, or even given a theological explanation of the nature of death.  But He didn’t.  Instead, Jesus said nothing.  On the contrary, Jesus wept. These two short words represent the shortest verse in the entire Bible.  They also represent one of the most profound and moving verses as well. Scripture says that He was moved in sprit and troubled.  That tells me that He was moved with compassion upon seeing Mary weeping.  Jesus simply made Himself available and cried with the bereaved. 

Perhaps we can take a page out of Jesus’ playbook.  We don’t have always have to say the right thing. We just need to be present, to be available.  This is not to say that we should never say anything.  There are moments when the grieving need to hear comforting words, and in those moments, we must pray for discernment and wisdom in exactly what to say as well as what not to say.  We have all likely seen the list of things not to say to those who are grieving.  There is a reason that such a list exists.  All too often, well intentioned people say insensitive things in an ill-advised attempt to comfort the hurting.  Let’s not do that.  If we are going to speak, let’s speak love, and let’s do it with sensitivity and caution. 

So, here’s the thing.  There are those in your church family that are hurting and grieving right now.  Perhaps you know others in different settings that are also hurting.  What are you doing about it?  Are you present in their lives?  Are you available?  Or are you consumed about tripping over your words or saying something insensitive?  Let me encourage you to practice the ministry of presence, just like Jesus did.  Remember, you don’t have to be profound.  You just have to be present.

Until Next Week,

Pastor JP